The 61st Hunger Games: Accidental Love
by Skyleranks
Summary: "And how did I ended up here", he thought. He is about to enter the arena because of a mistake. The sun hit his eyes like a flaming arrow as he raised up through the ground and entered the arena. When his vision cleared he could not belive what he saw...
1. The Begining

**Accidental Love**

**The Beginning**

And how did I ended up here, I thought as I stepped forward to the platform that I've seen on tv many times but never thought that is was going to see in real life. If I hadn't sneaked into the tributes training center I hadn't seen that girl. The tribute from district 8. Cornelia. If I hadn't seen her I hadn't fallen in love with her. But this isn't a normal love story. This story involves the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, the cruel and sadistic entertainment of my hometown. The Capitol.

But this is not the story of my life in the capitol. This is how I ended up in the place I have been watched for many years on the safe outside and ever even had a thought that I should be on this very spot at this time. This is how I a simple boy from the Capitol ended up in the Hunger Games.

This is the story of how I died.


	2. Part I, The Bet

**Part I**

I'm seventeen or was seventeen. My name is Arkam. Arkam Huntington son of the respected lawyer Harvey Huntington, my father used to work for President Snow. My parents always wanted me to be a lawyer, but all I did was to disappoint them. I wanted to be an artist. A painter to be exact. I painted everything that I saw, my favorite thing to paint was the tributes before the games. Not just portraits, I loved to paint their outfits, their chariots and especially the interviews. My parents could not understand why I did take this much interest the tributes. I think my parents thought that I was nuts. Especially why couldn't I find a girl to settle down with. All of my friends were finding, or had found someone. I just could not find the girls inside the capitol attractive. I think it is the crazy fashion that goes on inside the city. I guess that light green skin and pink hair is just not my type.

Me and my friends Carnia Fieldcrush , my friend Root's actual name is Roothervalski Lambskin we just call him root because is shorter than Roothervalski and is describes his IQ pretty well. And then we have Anastasia, my oldest friend. I have known her for ages, she was like a sister to me. It actually kills me that I never got say goodbye to her. We were to off to the center square to see the tributes arrive in their chariots and watch Cesar Flickerman interview them. After the interviews we placed our bets on which we thought would tribute should win. As always I brought my sketch book to make sketches of the tributes as I always did.

Cesar gave a short opening speech in his blue suit with matching eyelids and lipstick. The first tribute to be interviewed was a tall muscular guy from district one. His name was Arim Mink. He had blue eyes and straight blonde hair and was one of the tallest tributes this year. It appears that he volunteered for a stranger, just because his brother volunteered the year before. The result of his interview gave the impression that he was a "bad guy" or some sort of a ladies' man. The type that girls I my school would just flock around. Afterwards it was time for his co-tribute from his district. I could not hear her name or get a good look of her because was to busy finishing my sketch of Arim and my friends could not stop talking about where to put their bets. Then Felix Cooper-Hays from district 2 was up to be interviewed by Cesar. Felix has the typical look of a career, whit big shoulders and a very athletic look with dirty blond hair that went down to his shoulder. I thought this guy was perfect for a caricature, so I don't really remember what his appearance was like. I gave him a kind of cartoony look with a big head and a short tiny body in a peacekeeper uniform, because that was what I expected he wanted to be before he was reaped.

When I was done, Cesar was halfway through interviewing a small long brown haired girl. Her name was Mathilda. She had green eyes and looked like a mermaid. She was very attractive. Both young and lethal. She wore a green and blue dress that had a floating effect in its texture. It looked like it was flowing water that was covering her body. After her interview Braiden and his friends came up to us. Braiden is Anastasias ex boyfriend. He doesn't really like us, because he thought that she and Carnia are dating. But there are not, they are just friends.

Braiden came up to us with his crooked smile, which I was the reason for because I had punched him in the face for picking on Root in school. "Hey! What are you losers doing here?" He said with a grin on his face. "Minding our own business and tying to enjoy the interviews" Carnia said. "Can't you and your goons just leave s alone?" Anastasia said with irritations I her voice. "Why? So you and your boyfriend can be alone? Braiden answered with the same irritating crooked grin on his face. "Maybe, are you jealous because don't have a hot boyfriend? Anastasia said to him as she took a step closer to Carnia just to prove a point. Braiden had just opened his mouth when I said: "why don't you just do like the train and leave? After a few seconds of serious thinking he just replied with a simple "No".

"Why don't you just go throw rocks at some mutts or something like that" I answered and felt the irritation growing inside me, like a burning fire. "What are you going to do to me I don't leave? Sketch me to death, you sure can't hurt me! You can't even beat a mockingjay in arm wrestling" he said with scorn in his voice.

The last thing I can remember after that is how Carnia and Root gripped my arms to prevent me from jumping on him. "Oh so you have your girlfriend fight your battles for you, Ana" He said as he was laughing at us in the face. "At least I choose my friends with concern, and you have nothing to do with my dating life, do you hear that Braiden!" Anastasia said, and you could really hear how angry she was right now. "Yeah yeah" Braiden said as it was nothing. "I came here to invite you to a little competition" he said, trying to sound as important or formal as possible. "Let's make something fun or this year's games, let's we all make our bets on one tribute each and all the money in a big pot, winner takes it all and loser gets nothing." "That sounds a little vague, even for being you. What's the catch? Carnia said. "There is no catch, but if you want to raise the stakes fine for me" Braiden said with a grin on his face. "What are the stakes?" Root asked. It was the first time he opened his mouth since we left our home. "If me or one of my friends win I get to take Ana here on a date, If one of you win… hmm… we leave you alone for the rest of the year. How does that sounds?" "Deal!" I said without thinking. "Hey!" Anastasia shouted as she hit me with her hand. "Good, since you seem so impatient to make this bet. Let's make the it a little more interesting. We meet back here tomorrow before they are releasing the tributes training score. " Braiden said as he made that luring smile as always does when he has something going . "Seams fair" said Carnia as they shacked hands. After that Braiden and his friends left us. I stared at them as they made their way through the crowd and then diapered behind a fountain that was placed on the square for the interviews.

"I think he is going to cheat" I say, as I turned around and looked at my friends. "Me too" Root said. "Me too but I don't know how. Let's just watch the rest of the interviews and then decide what we will do. And Ark, what did you think? How could you allowed him to do that? I'm his price… How did that happened? " Anastasia said as she looked at me. "I don't know. I didn't think that one through. Don't lie and tell me that you don't like it. I have known you for a time and know you like that kind of attention." I said and look at her and give her a smile. "Yeah, but still…" Anastasia said as she blushed and looked at her feet. "Oh for god sake, he was your boyfriend and you dumped him because he cheated on you" Carnia said with irritation in his voice. "So? That does not make his less attractive, does it?" Anastasia said, still looking at her shoes. "It kind off does, for a normal person at least." I said as I tried to make eye contact with her. "Shut up, like you ever had a girlfriend" she said as she gave me a big smile.

We stood in silence as we watched the last four interviews. The first tribute from district eleven was a young buy around the age of fourteen. He was thin and had black hair that went down to his shoulders. But by the looks of it he looked as he was a good runner though. The girl form district eleven was a small girl by the age of 15 with dark skin and long curly black hair. I think her name was Mia. Mia Hart. I can't remember the tributes from district twelve. I did not pay any attention. What is the odds that district twelve should win. The barely didn't survive the first two days in the arena. I was lost in my thoughts. Which tribute should I put my bets on? It's hard to choose. It is many good promising ones this year. I just hope I make the right choice. I had just forgotten everything about my sketches and the reason why I was there, more than just hanging out with my friends.

"Okay, that was it" Carnia said as he turned around and looked at us. "Who looks most promising to you? Anyone you recommend? "I said and looked around. People and started to clear out the square. "The guy from district 2 looks cute" Anastasia said with a dreamy on her face. "Who do you think Braiden and his goons will bet on?" Root said. "Probably one of the guys fro, district one, two or three" I said. "As always" Root filled in. "What do you think Carnia?" Anastasia said as she bent over to tie her shoes. "I think Ark and Root are right. And I think that Braiden is going to cheat somehow." He said as looked serious at us. "We can't let him win then" I answered. "Right, and we really need to be careful as me make our bets. We need to be sure. I think we have to spy on the tributes training session that is tonight." Carnia said. "And how shall we do that?" I said as I turned to him. "We need to sneak in to the Training Center. Tonight." He finished.


	3. Part II, The Traning Center

**Part II**

"What's wrong with you? That's impossible!" Anastasia said with an almost terrified expression on her face. "No it's not, and there is nothing wrong with me" Carnia said. "Okay, let's assume that there is nothing wrong with you. If we even could get in and we got caught we could be killed or even worse." I say. "What's worse than death?" Root asked. "Being turned into an avox maybe?" Anastasia said and looked Root. "Ooh right…." He said and his face shined up. "So what do you say? Are you in?" Carnia said and looked at us. "I don't really know if I feel like getting turned into an avox" I said with irony in my voice. "I'm to pretty to be an avox" Anastasia said. "We can't let Braiden win, can we? And how bad can it be? It's either being an avox or on a date with Braiden. What do you choose?" Carnia said. "Avox" both I and Root said at the same time. "Good, how about you Ana?" Carnia said and looked at her. "I don't know…. What should I tell my parents?" she said and looked at us as she did her famous puppy eye face. "Come on Ana! We need you, and since when do you care about your parents?" I said and looked at her. "I don't know…. I just started caring. It's kind of scary, actually. But fine, I'll do it" She said and smiled at us. "That's my girl!" I said and gave her a hug. "Good, let's meet back here again after twilight. That's when make our way in" Carnia said. "And how exactly wore we going to get in?" I ask him again before we split up. "I'll think of something" Carnia said. Then we split up.

Anastasia went to go shopping with her friend Isadora. Carnia went over to the Training Center to try figure out a way to get in. Then there it was me and Root left. We just spent some time walking around the streets of your hometown. The Capitol. The place where had grown up in. It's hard to imagine how the life outside the Capitol is. How the everyday life in the other districts are. That's when it hits me. We almost don't know anything about the districts outside the capitol. All we know is that Panem is a big country which contained 13 districts and the capitol. District 13 was destroyed after the Resistance uprising many years ago. After that the Hunger Games begun. Games created by the leaders of my hometown as revenge and a reminder to the districts for what happened. It was created to remind them who has in charge and to remind them of how great the Capitols power is. Know is more of an tradition, that is televised all over the country every year.

After a while Root and I went home to my place to eat something before we went back to the square to meet up with the rest of the gang. We ate some of my mother's homemade lamb stew. It was perfect. As always was. Then we went back to the square outside the Training Center to meet the others. We were already outside the Center standing by the fountain. "How do we do this?" I ask Carnia as soon as we reached the others. "I have looked into this and founded out that there is two minutes when the front door is ungraded. That's when the guards change shift. That's when we make a run for it. That's how we get inside the gates. And then I suppose that you Root can hack a standard electronic lock? That's we get inside. When we are inside we just have to locate the area where the tributes train. I have no idea where that is because I could not find any blueprints on the house. How does that sound?" Crania said and looked at us with triumph glimmering in eyes. "That sound as a good plan, maybe you are not as crazy as we thought." I said a laughed. "Ha Ha, very funny Ark… Back to the plan. Root do you think that you can do that, hack the lock? Carnia said. "I thought it was" Anastasia said and gave away something the sounded as a giggle. "Of course I can. I can do it in my sleep." Root said and looked at Carnia. "Okay, good. The guards shift ends in two minuets so get ready" Carnia said as he looked at his watch. "Let's go then!, Carnia and Root take the right side of the get so can I and Ana take the left one. Less chance that they will notice us" I said as we moved as quick and silent we could.

The guards went back inside just the time Carnia as said. When we guards were out of sight we made a run for it and hid us behind a big column that was outside each side of the doors to the Training Center. Root went up to the look and putted a small device that looked like a pen inside the lock. After a few minutes a new pair of guards returned to their predecessors positions outside the gates. "I can't get it open" Root whispered. "It's too complex. I have never seen a look like this". "Okay that is my fault. I should have assumed that it was a more sophisticated look on the door." Carnia said as silent as he could.. "Yeah, nice research… how do we get in now?" I whispered to him. "There is a door over here" Anastasia said and then she ran off. "Ana wait." I said in a attempt to make her stay but she was too fast.

She took cover behind a little shelter that held some sort of electrical equipment. She made a waving gesture to tell me to get over there. "Follow me I whispered to Root and Carnia before as went off after Anastasia. A few seconds later we were all gathered behind the little shelter. "Do you think that you can fix that lock then? It looks simple enough" I said to Root. "Let's find out." He said and went over to the door. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity. But he managed to get it opened. "Here we go, that should do it" he said as the lock gave away a clicking noise and the door sprung opened. Thanks to its well oiled hinges it went up smooth and soundless.

Root was the first one inside, then it was Anastasia, me and the last one through the door was Carnia. He closed it as light and soft as he could. When we looked around we found ourselves in a stairwell with stainless stairs that went booth up and down. "Which way?" Anastasia said as soon as we noticed where we wore. "Would say up" Root said. "And I would guess that we have a better chance on finding the training area down stairs." Carnia said as he went to the railing and looked down. "Then I'll say the compromise and go through that door." I said and pointed at the door that was right in front of us. "it says that I lead to the Entry hall" Anastasia said. "I we don't know where to go, I will guess that to start looking in the reception sound as a good idea." I filled in. "Well I guess that you are right, Let's go then" Carnia said and started to move towards the door. Just as he put his hand on the handle we all heard something. It was coming from the other side of the door. We all froze as the realized that the sound was moving towards us.


	4. Part III, Silk

**Part III**

Suddenly the steps on the other side of the door stopped. We turned around and ran up the stair behind us that went up to the second floor. Just as Root had got behind the railing on the second floor, the door opened and through the door stepped two guards. They were talking about how good they thought the tributes from district 1 and 2 were. "Did you hear that, it's District 1 or 2 we should bet on, let's get out of here!" Root said and started to move towards the stairs. "Stay down!" whispered Carnia and pulled him back down on the floor. "We have made it this far, we can't just leave now. By the way, since when do the guards know everything?" He said. "Since like, forever?" Anastasia said and moved towards the railing to peek down and see if the guards were still there. "How do you know that?" Carnia said with irritation in his voice. "It urban knowledge… they work here, they see the tributes every day. It most likely that they know who to bet on, and my uncle used to work here. He cleaned they guards break room" She said with a childish smile on her face.

"Did he work here? As a guard? Then why didn't we ask him if I did know something?" Root said with a surprised expression on his face. "No he was an janitor and that was ages ago, don't you ever listen?" She answered. "Are they gone yet?" I whispered to her and moved up beside her to take a look by myself. "Yes, they are gone." She said. "I think they went town to some of the lower floors, I wonder what's down there." I said. "Let's go then" Carnia said as he stood up and walked towards the stairs.

The entry hall was big. It was a simply white room with a black reception and elevators on the other side of the room. Behind us was a big walls wall that also included the big doors that separated us from the chilly night. "Where do we find the tributes and their training area, any idea?" I said and turned to Carnia. "I actually have no clue…" He said as he was looking around his feet, as he hoped to find a map or something. "Aright then, we tried. Let's get out of here" Root said. "Wait!" Anastasia said and moved across the room towards the reception counter. "Hey guys, get over here! I found something!" She said. We almost ran across the floor to see what she found. "Look here over here" she said and pointed at a piece of paper that was laying beside what appeared to be a phone. "A piece of paper?" I said and looked it. "No, look again" Carnia said as he gave the paper. "It's a list of where the tributes are being held and where they are going to train." Anastasia said. I looked at the list and it appeared that every district had its own floor. District 1 was in the first and 2 on the second and so it went on all the way up to the twelfth floor there the tributes form District 12 was held.

"Let's go down to the lowest floor and see what we could find down there." Anastasia said and started to move towards the elevators we heard something. We all froze and stood still as we tried to locate the sound. It was one of the elevators that had started to move. "Quick, everybody hide!" I said as I slide in behind a big plant that was placed in the floor right next to the elevators. Luckily the elevators just when pass us, and continued down to the lower floors. "That was close" Root said and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. We all moved away from our hideouts and moved carefully towards the elevators. When we reached the door Carnia tried to push the button butt nothing happened. He pushed it again. There was still no reaction. "Allow me" Anastasia said and she kicked the button with her shoe. The button lid up and the elevator started to move.

"That's how you do it!" She said and looked at Carnia wit triumph in her expression. "High five girl!" I said while Carnia just stood there and looked irritated. The elevator arrived a couple of seconds later and the doors opened with a sooth metallic sound. "Which floor was it again?" He said. "Try pressing the button with the letter G on it. I think it stands for gymnasium." Root said. "Let's go with G then." I said. Carnia pushed the button and the doors of the elevator closed. The elevator started to move down. Lower and lower down into the ground.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened with the same smooth metallic sound. Carnia was the first one out of the elevator. He checked so that there was no one around and the waved us to him. We all went up to him. "Okay, this floor is supposed to be pretty big. We can increase our chances of finding the tributes faster if we split up. Root and Ark you got that way while me and Ana goes this way" He said as he pointed down the big hall. "Hay… why do you always get the girl?" Root asked just to annoy him a little. "Okay fine! Ana go with Ark and Root come with me them" Carnia said and started to walk down the hall. "Come on Ark, let's go" Anastasia said and started to skip playfully down the hall. "Alright, alright, easy… I'm on my way" I said. The last thing I did was to give Root a confused look and then turned around and walked after Anastasia.

We walked through the endless corridor. It didn't even have door or to many lights so it was very dark. "You do know that Carnia has a crush on you, right?" I said to her just to kill the silence. I have always hated it. "Yeah I know" She replied. "You do?" I said surprised. "Yeah, it's not that hard to notice when you think about it." She said. "And do you like him?" I asked. "Like and like…. I like you… but not in the same way I like you or Isadora... Carnia is a friend and that's all. I mean he could never be like you or Isadora, you guys are like my siblings or something like that. But Carnia is just a friend." She said. That is what I always liked about Anastasia. We could talk about everything and no one cared. I think that I even knew more about what she was up to, more than her real brother. "Ah I see" I said and we continued walking in complete silence. "Root is kind of cute though." She said after a while. "What… wait…. You think that Roothervalski our Root is cute?" I said with confusion in my face. "Yeah, he has that courage that every girl wants" She said. "Yeah courage like an rabbit. Well I guess that we all have our moments." I said. Then she lost it. "Haha, I got you!" she said and started to laugh. "uh?" I said with even more confusion. "So you don't like Root?" I asked her. "No" She said. "He is like my weird little cousin and I would never date my cousin." She finished. This time we both laughed.

After a few minutes I noticed something. "What is that?" I said. "What is what? I can't see anything" Anastasia said. It was something that glimmered a little longer down the hall. I went over to it and found that it was a big window. "It's a window. You can see the whole gymnasium from here. Or I think that this is the gymnasium. Come and take a look" I said to Anastasia that looked very lost. She ran over to me and started to look out the window. "I think this is the gymnasium! I think we found it" She said. But where are the tributes? Shouldn't they be here and train for the Games?" She said. "I don't know. It's almost midnight and they are going to perform for the Gamemakers tomorrow." I said and looked at my watch. "Oh… that's too bad…" She said with a disappointed look on her face. "Wait" I said. Suddenly I saw something coming. There was some light lights was lit up in the corner of the big room with training encampment. "I think that there is someone in there" I said.

Her light lit up with joy and she looked the place that just had pointed at. "Hey look! It looks like it's someone there! Let's take a closer look." She said. "How I said? There is no stairs or something that can get us down there" I said. Wait here she said and climbed out of the window. What are you doing? You are crazy, get back in here!" I said. "Ark, trust she" said and the disappeared. She was gone for about two or three minutes before she showed up again. But his time she didn't came through the window. It appeared as she went through the wall. Then I realize a big door that I hadn't seen because I was too distracted by the window. "In here" She said. I followed her through the door and into the next room. I was a kind of balcony there the Gamemakers could sit and watch the tributes train. In front of the balcony was a big railing with something that looked like stairs attached to it. "See, I told you I was right. Here is stairs." She said. "I can see that, let's check out the light" I said and started to walk down the stairs.

I felt how my heartbeat raised as I came closer to the lit up corner of the room. I realized that the tributes training area was a pretty scary place in the darkness. Some of the walls were covered with weird training equipment and others with weapons. Everything from small throwing knifes to big odd looking axes. We approached the light as silent as we could.

We took cover behind a big bench that was lactated on a safe length from the tributes field of sight. We figure that was moving around in the area of light was training on thronging knifes and even on what appeared to be some sort for hand to hand combat.

The figure of the character inside was not tall but still not short and had a thin figure. "Who do you think that is?" I whispered to Anastasia that was next to me. "I don't know, maybe a tribute from District 10 or something." she said. I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl in there. But suddenly the figure stops. It reaches to its head to release what appeared to it hair. It was not until then I realized what we was looking at. We were looking at a girl. Not an ordinary girl it was one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. She was not like the other girls inside the Capitol. She some kind of natural beauty that no make-up or body alterations could match. She had long brown hair with some stains of red in it that really glowed in the light. "I know who that is!" Anastasia said. "Who is it?" I said. I could not take my eyes of the wonderful creature in front of my eyes. "That is Cornelia Silk from District 8." She said. "Wow… she is pretty…" I said with a stunned expression in my face. "She's not that pretty…" Anastasia said. "Fine if you don't think so" I said with my eyes till locked on Cornelia that was dancing around in front of me with knives in her hands.

"Ark, Ark, Arkam! We need to go." Anastasia said. "Wha… wha… what?" I said. "We need to get back to Root and Carnia" She reminded me. "Oh right" I said. I had totally forgot about both Root and Carnia. All I wanted to was to sit there in the darkness and watch her, Cornelia.

Back the elevators we meet up with both Carnia and Root. Carnia's hands were filled with different videotapes and Root looks like had run through a forest of poison ivy. What do you have there? I asked him. "I found the security room and found some tapes of all the tributes when they train, so know we can watch these at home and decide on who we will bet on." Carnia said. "And what happened to you? Is that lipstick?" Anastasia asks Root and takes a look at him. "He found the Avox girls room. To answer on your second question: yes that is lipstick. I hope…." Carnia said. "For how long has he been like that?" I ask Carnia while I look at Root who just stands there with and empty expression and just looks stupid. "I don't know about ten of fifteen minutes." Carnia said. "Let's head back home" I said.

Thay way back goes smooth and quick without any more problems that we have to wait for another guard switch. It's was almost Dawn when I get back into my own house and seek back to my room. I kicked of my shoes and just left my clothes on the chair in the corner of my room and just went down to bed. This night was the first night that I dreamt about Cornelia. Cornelia Silk, the tribute from District 8.


	5. Part IV, Thoughts

**Part IV**

All it took was one look and I was hooked. I could not stop thinking about her. Her, the girl tribute from district 8. Cornelia Silk. She was unlike anything I have seen in the capitol. She had no dyed skin, no decorative tattoos and no weird screaming hair color. She was just, natural. Beauty in its cleanest form. No alterations needed. I could not even think that the last night was probably the last time I saw her. She had her odds against her, because the tributes from district 8 always had a hard time surviving the first night. It must be horrible just going around and wait for the guards to take you to your death.

I woke up the following morning by the screaming of parent screaming. "Ark! Arkam, get up! You got to see this!" they screamed. I sprung out of bed and almost tripped on my old clothes that were lying on the floor since the night before. I grabbed a pare pants that hanged over the chair by the door to my room. I squeezed in to the pants as I moved along the hall to the living room. My family was sitting in the sofa and they all were starring on the TV. "What is it? Where is the fire" I asked. "Look!" my mother said and pointed at the TV. "It's about the Games. It has happened something…" my mother never had time to finish the sentence because my father told her to be quiet. I walked over to the big chair by the sofa and sat down in it and tried to keep up what has happened.

The Anthem started playing and when it was finished a small man with thin white hair showed up on the screen. It was President Snow. President all over Panem and its containing 12 districts. "People of Panem, it's with great sorrow I have to tell you that the beginning of this year's Hunger Games has been moved forward two weeks from today." He said. "What? How is that possible?" I asked my parents but I didn't get any answer they were too busy staring at President Snow. "There have been some complications with the arena. So the Gamemakers decided to Move the beginning of the games. Under the Games glorious 61 years has this type of event never accrued. It fills us all with excitement that we have to wait two weeks to see our brave tributes compete in the arena." He said. That was the last thing I heard because in that second an image by Cornelia just flew right through my mind. "She is still alive" I thought. "She gets to live a little bit longer."

I was so taken by the thought that I might have time to se Cornelia one more time before she gets into the arena, that I didn't hear the phone ringing. I returned to reality when my mother put the phone right under my nose and to me that it was for me. I reached out and took the phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said, still thinking of Cornelia. "Ark? It's Ana!" Anastasia said. "Oh! Hi Ana!" I said with a dreaming voice. "Have you heard about the Games and the arena?" She asked. "Yeah, I have. What do you think happened?" I said. This time it felt like I had found the way back to reality. "I don't know. It must be very serious because this has never happened before. Well I and Isadora are heading over to Carnia's place. We were going to watch some of those tapes we found last night." She said. "Hmmm… Sure! Weren't we supposed to place our bets today with Braiden and his goons?" I replied. "I think so" Anastasia said. "Okay see you there then!" I said. "See you" She said and hung up.

We were all gathered a short while later at Carnia's house. It was me, Root, Anastasia and her friend Isadora. We all were sitting in Crania's room and talking when Carnia came through the door. He was carrying a big box. "What's in the box?" Root asked. Carnia waited to answer until he was inside of the room and had closed the door behind him. "It's the tapes we found last night. I had to hide them somewhere." He said. "Where did you hide them then?" I asked.

"Under my brother's bed in his old room. It's a pretty good hiding place. My mother hardly enters that room since my brother moved." Carnia finished. He putted in one of the tapes in the tape player and pressed play. The capitols banner almost immediately appeared. "Where did you get these tapes?" Isadora said with a curios voice. "We found them" Root said and smiled. "Yeah, I guessed that, but where did you find them?" Isadora said and looked at all of us. We all looked on each other for a while. "Well… we found them in…" Root started unsure if he could tell her or not. It sounded like if he didn't know if he could trust her or not. I wasn't really sure if I could trust her either. "We found them in the security room of the Training Center" Anastasia finished.

"When were you inside the Training Center?" Isadora asked and looked very surprised. "Last night" I said. "No, you are lying!" She said gave me a skeptic look. "Explain these tapes then?" Carnia said. "Hmm… okay I can't. But still if you where inside the Center, how did you get pass the guards?" She asked. "We sneaked pass them and then we had Root here to try opening the look for us." Carnia said and gave Root a pet on the shoulder. "You are lying… it's impossible to sneak pass the guards" She said again and this time she looked a bit irritated because she thought that we tried to fool her. "No it's true! We sneaked past the guards last night. Ask Anastasia if you don't believe us." Root said and pointed at Anastasia with a videotape he was holding in his hand. "Ana? Is it true, and where you there?" Isadora said and suddenly she looked a little scared. "Yes, I was. Root get that thing away from me!" Anastasia said and shoved away the tape that Root was still pointing at her. "Wow…." Was the only thing Isadora was able to get out from her mouth.

We sat down and watched the tapes one after one. We saw Ethan Jones the guy tribute from district 4 throwing tridents, Mathilda Venisia the girl tribute from district 4 making traps, Tammy Bloem from district 10 throwing daggers and guy from district 10 named Lucas Morrigan flinging around swords. It went on and on…. Until there where only a few tapes left. Carnia pushed the eject button and the tape of Lucas Morrigan popped out. He gave it to Root who putted it on the top of the pile with the other tapes. The pile wobbled uneasily when he putted the tape on top of the others. Carnia took another tape and putted it in the player. The Capitols banner showed up, like it had a hundred times before on the other tapes. This time it was district 8's turn and a girl showed up. I knew it before it happened. I recognized her hair and knew who it was before the putted up the little name tag in the corner.

This was Cornelia's tape. I saw her walking down along the hall. I saw those light steps she took while she was walking. How her hair flowed gently behind her when she walked. I just sat there paralyzed and watched the tape. Unable to move, all I did was just to sit there and watch. She reached the middle of the gymnasium and just stood there for a little while. Then she started to walk over to one of the stations but I never had time to see what kind of training station it was. Suddenly Anastasia said that we needed to hurry. "Oh crap! We are going to be late! We need to go." She said. "Why? Where are you going?" I asked still trying to concentrate on the TV in front of me. "We are going to meet Braiden and make that stupid bet. And you are coming with us. Remember?" She said with a hint of irritation in her voice. "Right!" I said and stood up. I could see how Isadora rolled her eyes when I walked passed her. I had the feeling of that she didn't really like me.

Outside it was sunny and warm as ever. "I think the summer is coming early this year" Root said as we all were walking down the street to the City Circle. "How can you tell? It's always the warm outside" Carnia said. "I don't know it just feels like it" Root answered. "I don't get you…" Carnia said.

"So guys, who are you putting your bets on?" Isadora said. "I would think that I play it safe so I will bet on the guy from district 2." Carnia said. "I feel like gamble ling a little so I will go with the girl from district 5." Root said. "Alright then… Ana, and you? Who are you betting on?" Isadora said and turned to Anastasia. "I don't know his name or his district… All I really know is that he fights with swords and is really cute" Anastasia said with a dreamlike expression on her face. "You have to be a little more specific than that, there were a couple cute guys that fought with swords." Isadora said. "Oh, you know who I mean. The really cute you with the… you know… that! And of course he had the swords." Anastasia said and looked at Isadora. "Oh I think you mean the guy from district 10" Isadora said. "I think that's him" Anastasia said. "What about you Ark?" Anastasia said. "Who are you betting on?" Filled Isadora in. I didn't hear them, I was to far away in my mind. I was thinking about one thing and it was not on who I'm going to place my bet on. My mind as somewhere else, I were with Cornelia. "Hello Arkam?" Root said. "Are you there? Capitol to Arkam! Hello!" Anastasia said. "oh wha.. what?" I asked. "Oh look who is back! The lost mind has finally returned to its owner. Welcome back Arkam!" Root said and gave me one of his special grins.

"Who are you going to bet on?" Root asked me. "I don't know… I think that I'm playing it safe this time… but I'm not sure on who." I said. Actually I only had one tribute in my mind. The girl tribute from district 8, Cornelia Silk. "Oh I thought you were going to bet on that cute girl form district 8" Anastasia said and gave me a little evil smile. "There is no tribute that I'm think is cute… and for the record I'm not like you. I bet with my brain and not with my eyes" I said and gave her a grin. "Oh yeah? Then who was that you were drooling over when we were in the tributes gymnasium and the girl on the tape we watched like five minutes ago?" She said. This time I could feel that they all were watching me. I could feel how their eyes burned into my skin like the stings from a hundred Tracker Jackers. A wasp looking insect that we, the capitol, used as a weapon against the rebels during the revolution. A sting from a Jacker makes you hallucinate and sometimes even die. That's what I've been told I school. "That was nothing…" I said. "I don't know who you are talking about". "Oh I bet you do" She said. "Who? Who is it?" Asked Isadora. We where almost at the City Circle now. I begged them in my mind to just stop it, but I bet Anastasia saw how uncomfortable and annoying I thought it was so she continued. "I think her name was Silk something…." Anastasia said. "Well I don't know… How can he fall for someone who is a tribute? Talk about a long shoot." Isadora said. And so they went on all the last bit of the walk to the Circle. I thank the gods for that the City Circle as only a couple of block away. I acted like I didn't care but deep down in my heart I knew that it was true.

It was a real long shoot. How could I even have a chance to get me to like me? After all these years of hate and hard labor so that I a citizen of the capitol can have it better? I bet my odds of ever to get a chance to talk to her is lower than the chance of her surviving the arena.

We met up Braiden and his friends by the fountain. He just stood there and watched us walking against him. He looked really confident. He had done something. He had that distinct smile of a little boy that just pulled of one of his best pranks. I just didn't know what…

"So, here you are! Are you ready to lose all your money?" Braiden said and looked at us. "We will see who loses their money" Carnia said and could almost see the lightning bolts shooting from his eyes. "Okay, I'll tell you what! Let's skip this whole bet thing if you, that's right Carnia I'm talking to you" Braiden said and pointed at him. "If you give up Ana" He finished. "For the last time Braiden, I and Ana are not dating!" Carnia said and I started to look a little irritated. "So it should not be any problem for you if I asked Ana out then?" Braiden said and walked up to Carnia. Now they were standing face to face with only a couple of inches between their heads. "Over my dead body!" growled Carnia. "Ha! so you do have feelings for her then!" Braiden said and turned around and looked amazed by his own cleverness. "No he doesn't!" Root said and looked angry. I guess he also started to get annoyed by Braiden. "Well who care about what you think! You are that dumbass that tried to date an Avox!" Braiden said and looked at Root. "Hey! That was one time and I didn't knew she was an Avox." Root said and looked a little embarrassed. "Well you are still a dumbass!" Braiden said. "Braiden, I have a thing I have wanted to tell you for a long time now" Anastasia said. "You do?" We all said in choir "Oh, really? What is that?" Braiden said and looked surprised. "Yeah I have, but you need to get closer. It's a little embarrassing and I don't want anyone to hear." She said and waved Braiden over to her. Braiden walked over and looked really happy with himself. "Come a little closer" Anastasia said and looked at him with her big puppy eyes. "Oh this can be good!" Root said to me and rubbed his hand against each other. When Braiden's face was just a few inches way from Anastasias she raised her right hand and… SMACK! She had smacked him across his face and the hand left a big red mark on his cheek. "Here is your bet! And stay away from me and my friends!" She said and threw a small bag of money at him. We all laughed as we saw him wobbling away back to his friends. "Haha! That was a god one!" I said to Anastasia and gave her a big smile. "That just made my day!" Carnia said looked very relieved and happy by the moment.


	6. Part V, The Dream

Part V

_You're the thought that starts each morning, the conclusion to each day.__You are in all that I do,__ all that I wear, all that I see a__nd everything I say.___

_You're the smile on my face,__ t__he twinkle in my eye.__ You're t__he warmth inside my heart,__ the fullness in my day._

_I have only seen you once. Once is that is needed. All I want is to see you again. ___

_You're the dimple in my cheek,__The ever-constant tingle in my soul.__The voice that makes me weak,__  
><em>_The happiness of my __life.___

_You'__re all I've wanted,__ you'r__e all I need.__You are all I've dreamed of,__ y__ou are all of this to me._

I laid down my pen and looked at the sheet of paper. "So his is all I can come up with?" I though and looked around for my clock. I looked outside and it looked like it was almost dawn and I still couldn't sleep. All I had in mind was Cornelia. I my thoughts and feelings had just grown for her the closer to the beginning of the games we came. I stood up in my dark room and stepped over the mountain of clothes that was on the floor. I was the result of one failed attempt to forget about her. One of many. I tried to remove everything that reminded me about her. Unfortunately so did almost everything remind me of her. It didn't help that almost all of our clothes and textiles was made inside of district 8. Her home district. A few nights earlier I tried when I realized here all our textiles and clothes come from I went through my wardrobe and tried to find something that was not related to district 8. But I didn't find anything and I never bothered picking up my clothes.

I walked over to the window and looked out over the city, towards the horizon. I see how the sun is slowly razing in the east. I closed my eyes and felt how the first spark of sunlight hits my face. I thought how horrible it must be for not for her but for all the tributes sit inside their room and just wait for their time in the arena to come.

The Games is just two days away from now. I wondered what was so important with the arena that they needed to push up the start two whole weeks. "I bet my father knows my, but still he won't tell us… Wonder why" I thought for myself. I wondered how something like the Hunger Games could be called entertainment. It's natural for us since we were born during the games. So I guess it comes natural to us. But how was it in the beginning to our parents, when they first saw it? Were they just okay with watching teens cutting their throats of each other in national television? I liked the Games when I was younger but know I can't really see the fun of it. I guess I liked it because I didn't understand what it actually stood for and what was happening. Now when I know why my home town, The Capitol holds this event every year to remember the districts that no one, and they mean no one can rebellion against the capitol. But the rebellion was any years ago, we could not possibly still be mad because of that? I thought to myself. I felt how I finely was starting to get tired and I went over to my bed and laid down on it and fell into a world of chaotic dreams filled with the rebellion, the capitol soldiers shooting down rebels from the mountain sights and then dreams of Cornelia dancing in front of me.

We were inside a forest. A forest filled with I think was trees and flowers. I could hear Mockingjays singing somewhere in the background. Mockingjays were the result of biological experiments performed by the Capitols bio labs during the rebellion. It's a small bird that can mimic every tone it hears perfectly. Cornelia was still dancing around in front for me. We came to a path and she started to follow it. Before she started walking she turned around to me and waved towards me, like she wanted me to follow after her deeper inside the forest. As soon as I started to move a hoverer appeared from nowhere, just like they did in the Games when they were about to collect dead bodies of the tributes, and a gigantic claw come down and I try to scream to Cornelia to run. "Run Cornelia, run!" I try to scream but my lips are frozen and can't move. I just stood there and watched the claw come down and grab around Cornelia. She reached out her hand so that could try to grab it, but she was too far away to reach. It looked like she screamed for help but I could not hear her because a mystical ringing was just getting louder and louder in my ears so I could not hear a thing.

I woke up with a start! "Ah… It was just that dream again" I said to myself. It was the fifth of seventh time I had that exact dream. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my shirt. "I've got to make this stop! I can't let that happened to her. I don't care if she doesn't like me. I can't let that happened to her" I thought for myself. That was the moment when I decided to go through with it! I threw myself out of my med and towards the phone. I picked up the phone and called the one of the only persons I could really trust. Root.


	7. Part VI, The Decision

Part VI

"Hello?" Root answered with a tired voice. "Hey Root! It's me Arkam!" I said with the adrenaline shooting through my veins in my body. "Oh… Hi Ark! What do you want?" He said still sounding sleepy. "What you say about meeting that read haired Avox girl again?" I said. "What? Who?" Root said and sounded confused. "The Avox girl you have been talking to me about ever since we were inside the Training Center!" I said and was surprised how frustrated I sounded. "Ark do you know what time it is?" Root asked and now he started to sound a little irritated. I looked around in my room but I could not find my watch. "No" I answered. "Me either… all I know is that it's too early, was it something you wanted or are you just teasing me again?" Root asked. "Yeah, I had that dream again! The one about Her!" I said. "You waked me up, to tell me that you had a dream about a girl?" he yawned. "No that's not why I'm calling… or it's is one of the reasons why I'm calling" I started and felt how the excitement grew inside me. "Okay! Thank you for the update. I'm hanging up know!" He said. "No! No! No! Don't do that, I have something else to tell you and you are going to like it! I promise! I said. "Cut to the chase! I'm going to my little cousins later… I need to sleep!" Root said. "Okay, here it is!" I said. "What you say about meeting that Avox girl you have talked to me about?" "What has that to do with you? Root said and sounded confused. "You do remember where she works and lives right? I said. "Of course I do! It's in the Training Center." He said. "But still? What has that with you…?" "Root, shut up and listen! Who else lives in the Training Center?" I ask him. "The Gamemakers?" he said unsure if I was kidding with him or not. "Wrong… try again?" I said. "The tributes!" He said. "Yes they do! So guess what?" I answered him! Then it was silent for a while. I could almost hear how is brain was working on the other side of the line. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? He said a while. "Oh yeah I think I do!" I answer him. "Well how are we going to do it?" He asked. "The same way as last time?" I ask. "Sound like a plan!" He said. "Yeah, I think so too! By the way… can you see if you can get the blueprints from Carnia? They maybe become useful" I said. "Yeah, I think so. Need to sleep know. I call you later?" Root said. "Okay, need to call Ana anyway… Bye!" I said and hung up the phone.

I almost couldn't stand still because of all the adrenaline that was going around in my body at the time. "I get to see her again!" I thought. As that thought flew through my mind I felt how a gigantic smile went up in my face. "I get to see her once! One more time! I can't believe it!" I though. I threw myself on the top of my bad and let the pictures of Cornelia fill my mind. I just laid there. I felt like an eternity. "Oh that's right!" I need to call Anastasia!" I said to myself. I climbed out of bed a second time and this time I tripped over the mountain of clothes that was on my floor. I crawled up on my feet again and went over to my desk and took up the phone a second time. I dialed the number and waited for the tone. I didn't have to wait long for a voice to answer. "Arkam Vinber Huntington, do you have any idea of that time it is!" Anastasia said and sounded very angry. "ehm… no?" I answered. "I thought so… what is you want?" she said with repressed anger in her voice.

"Okay… I don't really know how I'm going to tell you this…" I started. "Oh will you get to it! I need to get some sleep!" she said and sounded really irritated. "Okay, okay… calm down! I will just let me finish." I said I a friendly voice. "Just get on with it…." She said. "Okay, here we go. You know that dream I have told you about?" I said. "yes, what about it?" she said and sounded a little confused. "And you do know what I think it means." I said. "No! I hope that you are not thinking what I'm thinking that you think. Tell me that you are not thinking that." Anastasia said and sounded both scared and irritated. "I'm sorry but that's just what I am thinking. Sorry, but I'm going to do it." I said. "Arkam you can't do it! You just can't! She doesn't even know you. And what if you get caught? President Snow will have you killed as a traitor! She almost screamed. "I won't get caught! And if I do, If! Being dead still beats being an Avox." I said. "Shut up Arkam! You can't do it! First of all, how will you get in?" she said and sounded frightened. "The same way we did" I say. "And then what? What are you going to do next? If you succeed I mean? What are you going to do then?" she asked me with skepticism in her voice. "I haven't thought that far yet."I said. "Well… I'm going to hang up now. Good luck, I really hope you know what you are doing. Goodnight Ark." Anastasia said. "Yeah, me too. Goodnight Ana." I said and hung up the phone. "I really do…" I said to myself. That was the last time I spoke to Anastasia. I had known what I know now I wish that I had said something else to her.


End file.
